WoW Upgrades - The Item Upgrader

Upgrades give a guaranteed boost to certain stats. Each upgrade increases the item level by +3. Each upgrade also increases a random substat.

The more modernized gear generally has a more value in trade as long as it meets low requirements (like the FB shield of the sorc) or very high stat variation (like eth titan weapons). Upgrades are not as useful for those with higher variance due to the need to roll an exact version.

Recycle Points

The upgrader for items allows players to upgrade gear to a higher Item Level Upgrade level by supplying the appropriate currency to the NPC. Upgrades can be applied to any type of weapon or armor. The item used to upgrade the item will be consumed and cannot be used again. Upgrades can be used to create the enchantments.

You can upgrade your equipment anytime by visiting the upgrader in any major city. It is recommended that you visit the upgrader once every few weeks to ensure that your equipment is up to date.

Upgrades can cost more based on the item upgrade level, however, they are always cheaper than purchasing new equipment. Upgrades like upgrading a Benthic chest up to 385 ilvl will cost you 20 recycle points. A similar item will cost you 105.

Valorstones

Upgrades are items that can be used to upgrade weapon, armor, tool and accessory upgrades. They are purchased by players through NPCs who sell upgrades for items in exchange for various currencies, and can be found in random treasure lists. Once an upgrade item is purchased it can be applied to any weapon or tool with a button, which displays a preview of the item at its next upgrade level if the player has sufficient materials.

Upgrade costs differ based on the slot for the Best item upgrade and the current level of the item. For example weapons cost more than gloves, bracers, or bracers. Each upgrade costs 15 Flightstones plus a specific number of crests. Some upgrades offer a discount on the Flightstones. Once an item is upgraded to a certain degree it is able to be downgraded and sold to the upgrader at a lower cost.

Upgraders for items can be found in a variety of locations including the main island and some outposts. The NPCs provide both an upgrade coupon as well as the chance to obtain the latest recipe. The upgrade discount increases according to the number of items being upgraded, and can be boosted by having players complete specific achievements or quests.

Unlike Cromwell in Baldur's Gate II, there is no upgrader for items at the beginning of Icewind Dale. The NPCs that can assist with upgrades are available only via a variety of ways. This is both a positive and an issue.

In Season 3, the upgrade system was altered a bit, with several new features added. After a player has earned an upgrade to a specific Best item upgrade level for a particular armor slot, upgrading additional items to that level will cost less even if they are part of a different gear set.

The amount of Valorstones needed for upgrades is decreased, and the discount is available across all accounts. The amount of Harbinger Crests needed for upgrades is reduced as well, but is only available once certain milestones are reached.

Crests

Players have a number of choices when it comes to upgrading their gear in WoW. Flightstones are an option that is accessible to all players for upgrading. Crests are more specialized and are used for specific item level upgrades. Crests are a key element of the Dragonflight gear progression system that was introduced in 10.1, and come in four ranks.

The first thing to remember is that crests are only able to be used to purchase equipment of a particular rank, and that every rank has different requirements for upgrading. The most basic and straightforward upgrade route costs 15 crests while the most complex requires as many as 20 crests, based on the type of gear being upgraded.

Players can earn crests through completing content of the appropriate level, which involves walking around and engaging in outdoor activities for gear of lower tiers, raids or dungeons of all difficulties for higher-tier items, or Mythic+ heroic raid bosses or dungeons to obtain endgame gear. These crests can be exchanged with an item upgrader, such as Cuzolth or Vaskarn in Valdrakken for the appropriate upgrade steps and paths.

Using these new currencies isn't too difficult, but the system will introduce a few changes to the overall upgrade process. For example, once an item reaches the highest level of upgrading for any rank (Explorer, Adventurer, Veteran, Champion, Hero, or Mythic) it won't require Flightstones to be upgraded. This change lets players upgrade their gear to the highest level possible on all of their characters rather than relying on seasonal loot.

It's also important to use crests in a wise manner, as they have only one purpose. For instance it's a good idea to make use of all your Whelpling-rank crests on the top gear you have available and save Drake and Wyrm crests to use for the next set of upgrades you're planning to make. This is particularly relevant for trinkets and rings that occupy multiple slots on the character, that will be able to take advantage of the account-wide discount if all of the slots are filled with top-quality equipment.